For more pictures, visit Wordless Wednesday, and Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Mom and Say “Cheese” at It’s a Blog Party
Praying Mantis
W.W.W. Wednesday – My Reading List
I’m still reading my way through all the homeschool books on my shelf, deciding what to keep and what to trade off on Paperback Swap. (link is in the sidebar, if you’ve never been there before).
* What are you currently reading? – Homeschooling: A Patchwork of Days
* What did you recently finish reading? – Things We Wish We’d Known
– compiled by Bill and Diana Waring. 50 pioneers in homeschooling and homeschooling leaders share their tips and secrets.
– compiled by Bill and Diana Waring. 50 pioneers in homeschooling and homeschooling leaders share their tips and secrets.
* What do you think you’ll read next? – Home-Schooling All the Way through High School
by Renee Mason This book is written by a mother that homeschooled 8 children. It provides incouragement, as well as tells the reader about options for homeschooling high schoolers.
by Renee Mason This book is written by a mother that homeschooled 8 children. It provides incouragement, as well as tells the reader about options for homeschooling high schoolers.
I have to say, I am getting tired of reading homeschooling books. I think I need to take a break and read something else. lol I’m not burned out on homeschooling, I’m burned out reading about homeschooling. I will be looking for something else to read very soon!
To see more reading lists, visit Should Be Reading.
Blooming Flowers
There aren’t too many things blooming in my yard right now, but I managed to find a few. And no echinacea this week!
The hostas in front of the house are all blooming. Such pretty little flowers.
The yarrow in the Bible Garden opened. These are a light pink color.
The Purple Butterfly Bush has flowers open now. I posted the blossoms on the White Butterfly Bush last week.
Here’s a picture of the whole bush. This bush was a volunteer bush. It just showed up one summer. It started growing in the garden in front of the house (with the hostas). It did start growing about 10 feet or so away from the white butterfly bush, so I’m not sure if it grew from that one. Can a purple bush come from a white bush?
The Mimosa tree is blooming! The blossoms are usually fluffier than this, but it rained before I took the picture.
There are a lot of blossoms on the tree, this is just one section. This tree was started about 7ish years ago from a couple of little twigs that a friend gave me. She said to just stick them in the ground, and they would grow. And they did. I’ll try to remember to get a picture of the whole tree next week, as it’s really big and beautiful. Although, now, I wish I hadn’t planted it where I did. It’s on the end of the house with the Bible Garden, which I would like to expand to cover that whole end of the yard. And the tree is in the way. But I don’t want to cut it down, either. So I just pretend it’s a palm tree. lol
Now I’m going to show you a picture that shouldn’t have happened. This is what happens when you take a peace lily, that has never seen the sun, and put it outside. sigh I put it on the front porch, where it got only a couple of hours of morning sun. I thought it would be ok. I should have known better. sigh So it’s now on the back porch, where it doesn’t get ANY sun.
To see pictures from my vegetable garden, visit Saturday on the Farm. While your there, join the Saturday on the Farm Carnival.
For more flower pictures, visit Tuesday Garden Party at An Oregon Cottage.
Flaunt Your Flowers at Tootsie Time.
Also visit Outdoor Wednesday at A Southern Day Dreamer.
What’s For Dinner?
Last week I followed the menu plan pretty closely. The only exception was packets meals for Friday Night Fire. My husband ended up working really late, so I cooked inside.
I took the cube steaks that I had already defrosted for the packet meals, some onions, and some chicken broth from the freezer, (I wish I had had some beef broth, but I was out) and simmered them until the steaks were done. I added some cubed zucchini and simmered until they were done. I then removed the meat and zucchini from the pan, and thickened the broth with cornstarch. I served it all with the challah bread I had made, with lots of help from my daughter, as I wasn’t feel well that day. It turned out very well, everyone liked it. The zucchini was very flavorful from being cooked in with the broth and onions.
Now for this weeks menu:
Saturday – beef – Cheeseburger Macaroni, carrots
Sunday – sandwich day – Chicken sandwiches with tomatoes from the garden! and cheeseburger subs for supper that hubby cooked
Monday – chicken – Chicken wings, sweet potatoes, salad
Tuesday – beef – Fajitas
Wednesday – super simple – leftovers, salad
Thursday – chicken – Chicken and rice, salad
Friday – Friday Night Fire – Hot dogs, macaroni salad or potato salad, carrot sticks
For more Menu Plan Monday ideas, visit I’m an Organizing Junkie.
Frozen Lemonade
Lemonade is the only thing we normally have in the house to drink, besides water. The kids drink milk at mealtimes only.
Frozen lemonade is so refreshing on a hot summer day.
Frozen Lemonade
1 cup sugar
1 envelope unsweetened lemonade drink mix
1/2 cup water
ice
Place the sugar, drink mix, and water into the blender. Fill with ice. Blend until desired consistency.
You may have to adjust the water, and use more if your blender doesn’t do well with only ice.
Of course, you could use real lemon juice, I find it more convenient to use powdered drink mixes, then to keep lemons in stock.
You could use any flavor of drink mix that your kids like, (I just choose to keep the food coloring that the kids ingest to a minimum)and it would be like a slushie.
For more ideas, visit:
Homemaker Monday
Tammy’s Recipes
For more recipes, visit:
Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays,
Tasty Tuesday
Tuesdays at the Table
The Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life as Mom
Love
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. John 13:34
This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. John 15:12
These things I command you, that you love one another. John 15:17
God commands us to love one another. But is it possible to love someone too much?
Yes, it is.
If loving them means you put God in second place.
Here’s an example from my life….
The Holy Spirit spoke to me, and told me about something that someone close to me was involved in. I spoke to said person, and they denied it. Talked their way out of it.
So I had a choice to make. Listen to the person, or listen to the Holy Spirit.
I chose to listen to the person. You see, I loved this person so much, I chose to listen to what this person said over what the Holy Spirit said.
Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:5
So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today—to love the LORD your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul. Deuteronomy 11:13
But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to obey his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul. Joshua 22:5
Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ” Matthew 22:37
I made a horrible mistake. I sinned because I put this person in first place instead of God. How can I love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul and mind, if I don’t put Him in the #1 spot in my life?
I have been dealing with the consequences for many years. How different my life would have been if I had just listened and put God first!
Lesson learned. I hope and pray that I never make that mistake again.
So yes, you can love someone to much. It’s not good for the person that you love, either. God can’t use you in their lives, if you don’t put Him first.
By putting the ones we love first, we are limiting how God can use us in their lives.
Saturday On The Farm
It has been so hot this week! In the 90’s everyday. And that’s not even counting the humidity! So, needless to say, we have not worked in the gardens this week like we should have. Everything is still progressing nicely, though.
Here are apples on the trees in our yard. My husband moved 5 trees from up on the hill down to our yard. Last year was the first time we have apples off them. Which we didn’t even get to eat! I don’t know what ate them, but they were gone! lol I’m thinking these will be good pie apples.
While out walking around taking pictures, I found these berries growing on a bush. Well, the berry vines had grown up the bush. I’m not sure if they are blackberries, or black raspberries. We have both in our yard, and I have a hard time telling them apart, until the berries are full grown. I’ll have to have my husband look at them and see what they are.
This is the comfrey we have growing for the animals. This is Comfrey Bocking 4, which is good for both the goats and chickens to eat, but not for people, according to the information I have. The animals eat it fresh, and we also dry it, and give it to them dry. My goal is to dry enough to make a dent in the amount of hay we buy for winter feeding.
Ah, the front vegetable garden is full of weeds! But the green beans are growing very big, with lots of blossoms. There are two fences there, it’s kind of hard to see in this picture, but green beans are planted on both sides of the two fences
Green bean blossoms and buds. Can’t wait for fresh green beans!
This is the owl protecting our garden. He was an inflatable, but he has holes in him, so he is standing on a stake. Too bad he doesn’t guard our garden against weeds!
This is one of this years goat kids that we will be selling this summer.
This is Samson, our buck, standing on the hay trough in front of the barn, peeking around the corner to see what I’m doing. He doesn’t like to miss anything. lol
There is a yellow summer squash here, as well as a zucchini. The cardboard works great for controlling the weeds.
Here are the blossoms inside one of the squash plants.
I put the flower pictures in another post.
Ok, it’s time for the Saturday on the Farm Carnival!
To participate, just write a post about your homestead, farm, farmette, or the tomato plant on your deck. Your cows, goats, chicken, or your favorite kitty cat.
In your post, include a link back to me. Then enter your link below.
It’s that easy! Hope to see your link below!
For more gardens, visit Weekend Warriors at It’s a Blog Party. and Tuesday Garden Party at An Oregon Cottage
